Conference Introduction

The UNCITRAL Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RCAP) and the University of Macau (UM) are pleased to announce the UNCITRAL RCAP-UM Conference 2025, titled “Reinforcing International Trade Amidst Reemerging Trade Barriers: The Role of Legal Harmonization and Trade Digitalization.” The conference will be held on 21 November 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Macau (Macau SAR), as a hybrid event (in-person and online participation).

This year’s conference comes at a critical juncture when digital technologies and AI are fundamentally reshaping international commerce, creating both novel opportunities from trade negotiation to execution and unique legal challenges. The conference aims to advance understanding of UNCITRAL’s legal standards across multiple domains, including international trade, investments, insolvency, and dispute settlement, drawing from both global and regional experiences to create a comprehensive dialogue.

Through its diverse thematic tracks, the conference will examine how legal harmonization can be achieved in an increasingly digital and AI-driven world, with particular attention to how these developments are impacting international trade and dispute-resolution processes across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The conference will deliberate on various contemporary legal issues encompassing five thematic tracks emanating from the legal standards of UNCITRAL:

1) E-Commerce and Sale of Goods: The Role of Legal Harmonization to Facilitate Digitalization of Communication, Transmission and Authentication of Trade Documents and AI-Powered Services in the Digital Economy
2) Digital Insolvency Proceedings: Cross-Border Insolvency and Enforcement in a Digitized Ecosystem
3) Security Interests and Trade Finance in a Digital Environment: Leveraging UNCITRAL’s Frameworks to Enable Secure, Interoperable Digital Collateralization and Cross-Border Trade Finance
4) Digital Technology in Dispute Resolution: Developments in Dispute Resolution in the Digital Economy and the Recognition and Enforcement of Electronic Arbitral Awards
5) Contemporary Issues of Legal Harmonization in the Digital Era: Indicative Topics Includes (But not limited to) AI-Powered Services and Automated Contracting, Digital Trade and Electronic Transferable Records, Digital Assets and Trade, Digitalization of Trade and Transportation Documents, Digitalization and Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), Identity Management and Trust Services in Digital Trade, Digital Procurement and Supply-Chains, Legal Harmonization and Digital Trade in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) Region, Interdisciplinary Issues like Climate Change and Trade Law, or any Specific Issues of Legal Harmonization Under UNCITRAL Agenda. 

Organising Institutions

The core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), seeks to progressively harmonize and modernize trade laws by preparing and promoting the adoption and use of legislative and non-legislative instruments in several key areas of commercial law. UNCITRAL RCAP (Incheon, Republic of Korea) was inaugurated in 2012 to promote the work of UNCITRAL in the Asia-Pacific region and provide technical assistance to the states concerning the implementation and uniform interpretation of UNCITRAL texts, thereby diminishing legal obstacles to global commercial transactions.

The University of Macau, founded in 1981, is the leading comprehensive public university in Macau. It is a resourceful and ambitious educational institution with a unique Sino-European heritage and global connections. In 2025, UM is ranked 180th in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, 14th in the THE Young University Rankings, 34th in the THE Asia University Rankings, and 1st among universities in the Association of Portuguese Speaking Universities (AULP).

The Faculty of Law of the University of Macau, responsible for organizing the conference, is the oldest law school in Macau. With its diverse multilingual programs and teaching staff of international backgrounds, the Faculty has been playing a vital role in promoting legal education and research in Macau and contributing to the build-up of the local legal system. In addition, the Faculty of Law has also successfully held many high-level international conferences and meetings on a range of legal topics.